Virgin Atlantic is planning an expansion in the Caribbean by making Bridgetown, Barbados, its regional hub.
The news comes during the 25th anniversary of flying to Barbados. The airline already operates 15 weekly services to the island and plans to further expand its services to other destinations in the Caribbean. The British airline is determined to provide local connections within the Caribbean, and Bridgetown can serve as a regional hub for the operations.
The airline connects the island with two of its home bases, London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Manchester Airport (MAN). Virgin Atlantic operates 11 weekly flights to Barbados from LHR and four weekly from MAN.
The increased capacity is part of the carrier’s recovery plan from the pandemic-related disruption and further network expansion in the region. The Chief Commercial Officer of Virgin Atlantic, Juna Jarvinen, believes that with the current scheduled frequency at Barbados, Virgin can use the destination as a regional hub.
That would allow leisure travellers from the UK and Europe to have more options in the Caribbean. Moreover, flights departing to Europe can have travellers funnelled from multiple island destinations.
Jarvinen expressed his enthusiasm about the opportunity for further expansion in the Caribbean by saying: “We believe that Bridgetown can act as a regional hub for us.
“That's the reason why we are now selling these local sectors between Barbados and Grenada, and Barbados and St. Vincent Argyle International as a first step. It's to really build that local connectivity option.
"We believe that Barbados has, step by step developed its position in the region and is the strongest island to build that regional hub on, and we are committed to continuing to grow that together with the Barbados government and the people of Barbados." The airline has been keen to rebuild its network in Barbados since the pandemic downturn.
In the last two years, the airline has achieved major milestones in bringing the demand back to and from Europe and the UK. According to Barbados Tourism Marketing, more than 400,000 travellers visited Barbados in the first eight months of the year (January to August).
Nearly 40% of the visitors (over 150,000) were from the UK. The numbers are a testament to the continued demand for island destinations. With the winter season fast approaching, Virgin Atlantic and other airlines serving the routes may see an uptick of travellers hoping to escape harsh European winters.
Virgin Atlantic has launched several fifth-freedom routes within the Caribbean. In June, it became the only airline in the UK to offer travellers the flexibility to hop over to Grenada and St. Vincent from Barbados. The island hoppers now have a full-service airline serving the inter-island routes.
According to the Vice President of Network and Alliances at Virgin Atlantic, Rikke Christensen: “We know that Virgin Atlantic provides the most premium service to the Caribbean, and we’re thrilled to be bolstering our offering further.
“Our new inter-island flying will provide transatlantic customers with increased opportunities to experience the unique characteristics of each island, as well as providing a reliable regional service for our local passengers, with the best customer experience out there.” The airline recently announced the expansion of its intra-Caribbean flights.
This winter, it's ramping up frequency between Bridgetown and Saint Vincent to three times a week. Travelers will also be able to enjoy a twice-weekly service between Bridgetown and Grenada.
Thus, there is plenty to be excited about for Virgin Atlantic passengers in this next chapter.
